20 March- 10 April 2021

Fabrikraum Kunstverein

The Greek word, Nomos comes from the root ‘nemein’, which means ‘to divide’ and ‘to pasture’ at the same time. The double meaning of the term reveals how the acts of division, calculation, and appropriation are connected to the governance of the land. An important concept in Carl Schmitt’s political theory, Nomos is ‘the immediate form in which the political and social order of a people becomes spatially visible’.

The exhibition ‘Nomos’ deals with the metaphors of the division/ruling of the land through the standardization of the arbitrary. The works deal with the similarity between the cartographic projections and the camouflage patterns. Despite their seeming randomness; the scales, colors, and forms of military camouflage are repeated in a strict, standardized manner and they are facing transformations when adopted by diverse political powers.

Cartographical projection of the earth is also based on the standardization of the land into calculable units through the grid system. Cartography has the difficult task of transforming geographical forms into an imagined order, determined by the power structures. Camouflage visually evokes the landscape reproduced through cartography. It also reveals the never-ending human desire to contour and b/order the territory by ethnic conflicts and wars. Both camouflage and mapping are performative as they dictate a certain discourse on the physical world.